Saturday, November 20, 2010

Hockey

I've noticed something familiar about being around what to me is "foreign".
>>And that is simply that regardless of the language you speak, Smiles are Universally translated.

I say this because, as you know from reading, I've been able to finally play hockey here. I play in what we in the states would call the "old men's" league, here they say "gamle gutter" which translates to "old boys". The only difference here is that they actually compete with other old men's teams throughout the county.
I'm not allowed to play games here in Norway with the kids my age because I'm not a citizen, and I am too young to play with the old boys.
To get to my point.... I get to practice with them now twice a week--Tues and Thurs nights. (they play their games on Sun nights)
Well, I've only been out there twice, and I got to skate today (Saturday) against the A team for a charity game.
Having watched two of my friends play in a game every Sunday, in actual competitive hockey (something we don't have in the states much after high school) I get ancy and wish I could play.
The guys rounded up some old equipment lying around the locker room so I could skate, and I couldn't be happier. My equipment sucks, but I don't care. I actually LOVE my helmet. It's a bright red Jofa bucket from the mid 80's with a halfer visor on it. FILTHY!
I said the smiling thing, because I honestly can not stop smiling on the ice the entire time I've been out there. I look at my reflection, with this sugar sweet red melon protector on my dome and just giggle. The language barrier on the ice is quite a problem. There are only a few guys that can speak english, and I'm still not good enough to "snakker norsk" with them yet. BUT, they all seem to like me, and don't mind that I'm out there simply because I'm smiling the whole time.
The smile comment also comes into play a couple of different times.
When I babysit, the youngest child, the girl, doesn't speak any Eniglish. However, we get along great! We can just feed of off each other's expressions, reading into them, and keep in mind she's only 4.
When their grandparents came over last Thursday, the bestemor (grandma) didn't speak english. Not a problem , simply with facial expressions and gestures we communicated perfectly without even using words.
I have to go, I will write more on this, but I'm headed to Lillestom, where Nicolai my buddy is from, for the evening. PEACE.

About Me

My name is Brian Edward Gendreau and I am currently beginning my Junior year at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.
I'm from 20 minutes north of the Twin Cities in Minnesota and attended Centennial High School having graduated in the Spring of 2008.
I'm studying abroad at the American College of Norway for the entire first semester. (Aug 21st-Dec 23rd).
As a Comm. student this school fits perfectly into my plan of study and will help me graduate on time.
ACN is a sister school of UND, so tuition was basically the same-the airfare was the largest difference in living expenses compared to years past. Feel free to ask questions on this page (or on my Facebook account) and I'll answer them in a hurry.
A quick shout out to not only my lovely family but also "The Spot" at Warren-Alvarado-Oslo High School-- My biggest fans can't wait to see you all soon!